Clutch.



C. F. PINKHAM.

CLUTCH.

APPLICATON FILED was. 1915.

1,160,529, Patented Nov. 16, 1915.

lnvenor. Chares F P'mKhcam,

by At'iys.

CDLUMBIA PLANMRAFH co.. WASHINGTON, D. c.

irai) sierras rn CLUTCH.

yTo all whom t may concern Be it known thatI, CHARLES F. PINKHAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, county of SulfollnState of Massacliusetts, have invented an Improvement in (Hutches, of which the following .description clutch in which the clutching elements4 of one clutch member are positively disengaged from `the other clutch member when the clutch is to be released. One advantage of this is that it enables the driven member .of the clutch to be brought to rest always at a predetermined point in a cycle of operations. Other objects of the invention are to improve friction clutches, all as will be more fully hereinafter set forth.

In order to give an understandingl of my invention I have illustrated in the drawings a selected embodiment thereof which :will

now be described, after which the novel features will bey pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 isa sectional view through aclutch embodying my invention taken o-n the line 1 1, Fig. 2;;Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2 2, Fig. 15; Fig.

3 is a section on the line 3 3, Fig. `l; Fig. 4 is a sectionfon the line 4 4, Fig. l; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section on the line 5 5, Fig. l.

In the drawings 1 indicates the driving member of the clutch and 2 the driven member thereof. The driving member is herein shown as connected to orforming part` of a driving pulley 3 and the driven member 2 is "herein'illustrated `aslsecuredfto the shaft i from which the machine with which the clutch is operated is driven. This particular arrangement, however, is not essentialto Y thek invention, astlie driving member might be'operated from a shaft, as welllas. from a specificati@ of Letters Patent. Patented NOV, 16, 1915 Application filed August 5, 1915. Serial N o. 43,860.

pulley without departing from the invention. i

The driven clutch member 2 is sho-wn as provided with a concentric friction clutch sur# face .5, andthe driving clutch member l is provided with a plurality lof clutch elements 6, each having a friction clutch surface -7` adapted to engage the friction clutch surface 5 of the driven clutch member 2. These clutch elements 6 are herein shown as segmental blocks,rthe outer faces of which constitute the clutch surfaces 7. Said clutch Surfaces have a concentric relation to the clutch members. One or more of these clutch elements may be employed. I have shown in the drawings two of them. They are each secured to the driving clutch member l so as to move bodily in an eccentric path thereby providing for moving the clutch faces 7 toward and from the clutch surface 5. The means by which these clutch elements 6 are secured to the clutch member l to have this bodily movement is such that when the driving member l is rotating in a forward direc pivotally connected at 8 to a pair of links 9,

said links being in turn pivoted to the driving clutch element l at 10. These links 9 stand at an angle to a radial line, as seen in Fig. 1, and as a result, when the clutch elements 6 are swung about the links 9 in the directions of the'V arrows, theywill be forced outwardly or expanded. This is the movement which is given to the clutch elements l n when the clutch is to be engaged. A movel ment of the clutch elements in the opposite direction will withdraw them from fric-l tional contact with the friction clutch sur-` face 5 of the driven member and willy thus disengage the clutch.

Automatically-operative means are provided which 'tend to throw the clutch ele-vv` ments 6 into clutch-engaging position 'and positive means are provided for moving said elements in the opposite direction to disenfga ge the clutch.

The automatically-opera- 1 tive means herein shown is in the form of a4 v push-spring 11 for each clutch member, each spring 'restingy lat one end against aqlug w12. rigid with the clutch member 4L andat' the Il? flic 5 receiving recess 1ito assist in retaining the spring in' proper position.V The action of ther springs 11 will tend to'move the clutch el'ements into their clutching position in en-` y gagement with the clutch surface 5.

V Forpositively disengaging the clutch elements 6 from the clutch surface 5, I have herein provided elbow leversl Pivo-ted at nl@V to the driving clutch member 1 andengaging projections 17-eXtending fromgthe inner faces of the clutch elements 6. VSwinging movement of the elbow levers 15 in the direction of the arrows, Fig. 1, will operate toVV move the-,clutch element-s 6 positively against theaction of the springsy 11 into 20 their clutchdisengaging position. This positive movement is given to the elbow leversl fromv a. clutch-actuating collar 1S that is slidably mounted on a hubv 19 formed on the Vdriving clutch member 1. This collai` has clutch-actuating projections 20 extending'therefrom and'through the clutch mem-V ber 1,7the ends of the projections `being' beveled or tapered, as at 21, and engaging the arms 22 ofthe elbow :levers 15. When the clutch-actuating collar 18 is moved longitudinally of the hub 19 in a` direction awayv from the driving clutch member '1,

the corresponding movement of the tapered ends 21 of the clutch-actuating projections 2O operates against the arms 22 of the elbow levers 15 to turn the latter, thus positively movingl the clutch elements 6` against the action of the springs 11 and in a direction to disengagethe clutch. I/Vhen the collar 18 is 40 moved in the opposite direction towardY theV member 1, the elbow levers 15 are released bythe taperedends 21 of the clutch-actuating pins, and the springs 11 then automatically come into play to throwthe clutchyelements 6 vinto clutch-engaging position.

n Ihave herein shown the projections 2O as adjustable as to their length, sofas to provide `Vfor adjusting the position of the' f taperedportions 21 thereof relative to the collar 18. lIhis is herein 'accomplished by l making said projection inthe form of screws that are screwed intothe collar 18. By turn'- ing up or backing off the screws. the effective :length of the projections 20 can be readily adjusted. y k

It will benoted that the clutch-disengagingmovement of the clutch elements isa Y positive one, while. the clutch-engaging movement isautomatically effected by means of: the springs 11. The drivingvclutch ele# mentfl normally rotates in thedirectionof the arrow when it is driving the machine,

,p this being' its forward direction of rotation'. It willgbe noted'rthatiwhen the clutchiis in f engagement, this direction of lrotation'vis4 such that the resistance which the clutch offers tends to cause the clutch surfaces to be more firmly drawn into clutching engagement. On the vother hand, if the driving memberl should be rotated in the'reverse 70 direction the frictional engagement between :the clutch surfaces would tend to throw' the clutch elements 6 out of clutching engagement and would thus allow the clutch to slip. The clutch, therefore, .has`such a con- 75 struction that even when theclutching elements are' thrown into 4clutching engage ment, said clutch will not be effective t-o drive the shaft in case t-he ydriving element is rotated in a reverse direction, but is only 80 effective. when the driving element is being rotated forwardly. By means of the'positively-acting clutch-disengaging mechanism herein shown the clutch surfaceswill be rep leased when the collar18 is at a predeterg5 mined ipoint in itsmovement. This isimportant as it provides means whereby the clutch may be always disengaged positively at a predetermined point in the cycle of operationsv of the machine with which it is 90 f being driven by the clutch. v

27 is a stop screw' screwed into the collar 18 and operating through the driving memberl'. The purpose of this screw is to limit j, j the sliding lmovement 'of the collar 18-away 95 from the member 1.

While I'have illustrated a selected embodirnentl of my invention, I do not wish to be limited tothe nonstructional features shown. A

I claim: Y.

1. In a. clutch, the combination'with two clutch members, one of which has an annular clutch surface, of a clutchfelement o having a clutch surface tovcoperate with l said annular surface, links connecting the clutch element to the other clutch member to permit said Aelement to swing toward and from :the-clutch surface, aspiring tending normally' tomove said clutch velement intollO clutch-engaging position, and means to withdraw said element positively. Y

V2. Inay clutch, the combination with two clutch members, one of which hasV an anicc nular clutch surface, of a clutch element 11.5Vv

having a. clutch surface to cooperate with the'annular surface, links pivotally connecting said clutch element to the other clutch member, said links being situated Vat angleft'o a rradial line wherebyswinging 120 movement of said clutch element on said links will cause it to move into and out of clutchingv engagement with Vthe annular clutch surface, a spring tending to move saidv clutch element into lclutching*engagement,v andfmeans to move said clutch elementpositively ina directionto release the a n1 a nach, nl@ combinata-wah am clutchv members, onefof which'hasfan zin-7.130

nular clutch surface, of a clutch element having a clutch surface to coperate with the annular surface, links pivotally connecting said clutch element to thefother clutch member, said links being situated at an angle to a radial line whereby swinging movement of said clutch element on said links will cause it to move into and out of clutching engagement with the annular clutch surface, a spring tending to move said clutch element into clutching engagement, a lever pivoted to said other clutch member and engaging said clutch element,

yand means to actuate said lever to swing the clutch element into inoperative position against the action of the spring.

4. In a clutch, the combination with two clutch members, one of which has an an-` nular clutch surface, of a clutch element having a clutch surface to cooperate with theannular surface, links pivotally connecting said clutch element to the other clutch member, said links being situated at an angle to a radial line whereby swinging movement of Said clutch element on said links will cause it to move into and out of clutching engagement with the annular clutch surface, a spring tending to move said clutch element into clutching engagement, a

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

lever pivoted to said other clutch member and engaging said clutch element, a slidable clutch-actuating collar, and connections between/said collar and lever for actuating the latter.

5. In a clutch, the combination With two clutch members, one of which is an annular clutch surface, of a clutch element to engage said clutch surface, links connecting the clutch element to the other clutch member, said links being situated at an angle to radial lines whereby swinging movement of the clutch element about said links will throw said element into and out of clutching engagement with said clutch surface, a spring [acting against the clutch element to move it into clutch-engaging position, a lever pivoted to said other clutch member and engaging said clutch element, a clutch-actuating collar movable axially of said clutch members, and a projection extending from said collar, said projection having a taperedV "head to engage said lever whereby movement of the lever in one direction will positively disengage said clutch.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

CHARLES F. PINKHAM.

Washington, D. C. 

